Slapping the noted conspiracy theorist with sanctions Tuesday, a Connecticut judge rejected the insinuation Alex Jones gave for why his computer had child porn on it.
“The court has no doubt that Alex Jones was accusing plaintiffs counsel of planting child pornography,” Bridgeport Superior Court Judge Barbara Bellis said.
Bellis is presiding over a defamation suit against Jones brought by the families of children and educators killed seven years ago at Sandy Hook Elementary School.
For years Jones has maintained that the shooting was a hoax, and the “Infowars” host produced email metadata to opposing counsel as part of the discovery process on May 21.
When lawyers found that the electronic metadata included 12 images of child pornography, an apoplectic Jones returned this weekend to his microphone.
“You’re trying to set me up with child porn, I’ll get your ass,” Jones said, going on in the broadcast to pound on a photo of a lawyer for the families named Chris Mattei.
Referring to footage of the Friday and Saturday broadcasts, Judge Bellis noted that Jones’ child-porn tirade went on for 20 solid minutes.
While Jones claimed he was emotional about the case, Bellis said it was an “intentional, calculated act of rage for his audience.”
Jones’ attorney Zachary Reiland said Jones’ behavior was not appropriate, but he didn’t feel it rose to the point where there needed to be sanctions.
“Our position is what he said did not rise to the level of a threat,” Reiland said, agreeing that Jones “should not have referred to plaintiffs counsel at all.”
Norm Pattis, another attorney for Jones who actually appeared on this weekend’s “Infowars” broadcasts, argued meanwhile that Jones is entitled to his suspicions.
He said Jones believes somebody from the Democratic Party is financing this lawsuit against him as retribution for President Donald Trump’s election.
Mattei, who is with the firm Koskoff, Koskoff & Bieder, noted outside the hearing meanwhile that he proudly represents the families and first responders to the Sandy Hook massacre.
“From the very beginning they have wanted their day in court to hold Mr. Jones accountable,” Mattei said. “And we are very grateful they’re going to have the opportunity to do that based on Judge Bellis ruling today.”
Mattei’s co-counsel William Bloss noted that the firm is not getting any money for this lawsuit, which he says they took to obtain peace for the families.
Bloss argued in a filing Monday that Jones would have seen the pornographic images himself if he “engaged in even minimal due diligence.”
Reiland maintained Tuesday, however, that the Pattis Law Firm does not have resources to farm out the data investigation before submitting discovery.
The lawyer held firm, even when Bellis quoted the $100,000 and then $1 million reward that Jones offered to get to the bottom of who sent him the emails containing child porn.
“We did not intentionally turn over these documents,” Reiland said of the child porn.
The hearing occurred one day after a judge in Wisconsin sided with the father of a victim of the Sandy Hook victim in a defamation suit against the authors of the book “Nobody Died at Sandy Hook.”
Dane County Circuit Court Judge Frank Remington ruled Monday that authors James Fetzer and Mike Palacek defamed Lenny Pozner, whose 6-year-old son Noah was killed in the shooting.
Pozner’s lawyer Jake Zimmerman noted that the pair claimed among other things that Noah’s death certificate had been faked. A trial to decide damages has been set for October.
Pozner is the lead plaintiff in several of at least nine cases filed against Sandy Hook deniers in federal and state courts in Connecticut, Florida, Texas and Wisconsin.
Jones’ attorney Pattis said the decision violates his clients First Amendment rights and he will be filing an appeal by the end of the week.